Granite Day!

To those of you who have re-modeled your kitchens and elected to go with granite, you know all too well the plethora of choices that abound with all types of stone.  We are up to deciding on the counter tops now and since granite is standard on this boat, granite it will be.

True to his word, Tom B. had the yard in Taiwan send me samples of 3 shades of the granite I've narrowed down the choices to.  You can imagine the hubbub in the office when the receptionist announced (over the office intercom) that I had a package.  There was a procession of curiosity seekers following the person who "volunteered" to deliver the package right into my hands.  First of all, the package had all sorts of characters on it in addition to the address and my name in English.  Next, it was wrapped better than any gold ingots leaving Fort Knox.  It took quite a bit of time to open each sample. Each granite chunk, which by the way was close to 2 inches thick, was wrapped in a sort of leather wrapping with (a lot) of tape.  Once opened, I was delighted to see that I instantly liked 2 of the 3 samples.  Needless to say, I spent most of lunch time devouring online sources of that color, from quarries all over the country.  By the time I was done, I was bleary-eyed and out of my mind with the different nuances of this lovely stone.

Craziness breeds all sorts of insane ideas.  Thanks to the willingness of the KKY folks to field all questions, crazy and/or otherwise, I felt free to let this one fly: "can the yard take a picture of the actual slab they plan to use once I make my decision and send the picture to me"?  How else can I possibly decide?  How can I possibly envision a run of galley, master and guest head counter tops in this stone from a mere 2 inch chunk?  Tomorrow, I'm bringing the cherry wood samples along with the granite back to the office for the opinion of the one person whose taste is similar to mine to have a look at.  Hopefully my apartment neighbors have little interest in my antics; otherwise, I might get some strange looks as they go by.  There is ALWAYS something going into or coming out of my door.  Between a horse, golf and boat, you can imagine the sorts of things that go on.

I know I'm being evasive and not mentioning the color of the granite I have in mind.  Oh, I may have mentioned it in an earlier blog, but I don't remember if I did; I'm sure you don't remember either.  LOL
Once I decide, I'll take a picture of the chunk and include it in a post.  I might even do a little "decorating" scheme and include the cherry wood and settee fabric as a back drop.

For those who have never been aboard a boat, let alone built one from scratch, there is considerable amazement about what goes into a project of this magnitude.  Although this is my 3rd Krogen, I am blown away by the decisions required to make the boat a reality.  Since our 1st Krogen a 39, was a brokerage boat, my only concern was putting our personal effects aboard to make it more homey.  The gentleman we purchased the boat from was a bachelor - the boat very clearly stated that.  Serenity was completed at the time we bought her, so nearly all of the major decisions had already been made.  THIS boat is another story completely.  There is something so exhilarating about building a boat you know you're going to make your home, a boat that will make your dreams become reality.  It's hard to explain, but it's a feeling I wouldn't trade for anything in world.  Even at this vulnerable time of my life when I'm trying to find my way without my beloved partner, I am still happy and excited about my future on this boat.

Needless to say, every detail going into this boat is of major importance to me.  While I was selecting the faucets, my Tom finally said he didn't want to even hear the word faucet.  He was so tired of hearing me go on about the endless choices.  This is a labor of true love, though I wouldn't use the word labor.  While some decisions make me dizzy, they still thrill me at the end of the day.

Tom B. and I exchanged several emails today (as we do nearly every day).  When I commented on how well wrapped the granite samples were, he mentioned that the folks at the yard love to wrap things and couldn't wait for me to see how they will wrap my boat.  When I said I wanted to part of her welcoming committee, Tom B. said "no problem.  We can make that happen."  How great to be working with these people.  They only want me to be happy.  I can live with that!

I'm not sure what's on the agenda for this week, but will be sure to keep you posted.  I'm staying over with my daughter on Wednesday night while her husband goes out of town, so definitely no blog then. Going forward, Thursday nights are my golf league night - we have a 5 pm tee time every Thursday starting this week through the end of September.  We "dine" after our round, so probably no blogs on Thursdays.  All the other nights, I promise to check in with whatever happened that day.

Have a great week everyone!

Pretty Stuff...

Got a message from Tom B. this morning that made me smile.

"We are ready for your final approval on these (reference to attached pics): here is the sheer stripe with the accent stripe below it and where the paint and varnish will be on the cap rail".

Tom and I had agonized over the paint decision.  We finally settled on painting the sheer with an accent stripe underneath (both in Forest Green).  We decided against painting an accent stripe at the boot line.  That is one of two decisions given final approval today.  If you could see this picture in color, you might gasp as I did when I zoomed in to really see the accent stripe.  It is soooo elegant, really cool.  It is painted far enough away from the sheer stripe to see, but slim enough to truly be an accent and not a fight with dominance over the sheer stripe.  Again, trying to work with a PDF evaded me, so I once again resorted to the phone for taking this picture.

This drawing shows the rails encircling the boat deck, just as I requested.  We are moving the flag to centerline of the boat deck railing so it is easy to furl and unfurl.  I think the yard is installing the transducer in the hull this week so the boat won't need to be hauled once she arrives.

This next picture is looking down at the boat to determine where the painted port and starboard cap rails end and the varnished portion in the cockpit begins.  I think they did a great job in determining the best place to make the delineation.

Though I really love the traditional look of an all teak cap strip, it would be virtually impossible to maintain on this  boat which does not have walkaround capability.  I equally hate the look of uncared for varnish, so the decision was a fairly easy one to make and approve today.  Oddly, it was more expensive to have the forward cap rails painted, but I think over time, that will pay for itself in the lack of varnishing fees.

On the way to me as we speak are granite samples from the yard.  I pretty much have a color in mind, but need to see how the veining and speckling appears.  Can't be too much of each you know.  Also en route is a Sunbrella sample that I was able to narrow down to one.  The choices are endless, but since I have a certain look in mind, it was not all that difficult.  If it turns out I don't like the sample, I'll look at and ask for more samples.

Those 2 decisions were today's accomplishments.  I feel very pleased with what has been done to date and the care with which everything is discussed, researched and information offered.  I'm confident in everyone's ability to draw upon their experience to make suggestions and offer various ways to look at many issues.   I know everyone has my back.  What a comforting thought that is!

Have a great weekend everyone.  I'm sure I'll have much to share as next week moves along.

Plan Views - Really!

So I resorted to old fashioned tactics to get these plan views to you.

I printed the PDF version, placed the copy on my desk and used my phone to take a picture of the plan views.  Not exactly state of the art pictures (even though taken with an iPhone 5s), but pictures nevertheless.  I wasn't able to come up with a plausible enough excuse for why I couldn't deliver on what I promised last night, so here we are.  I should also tell you that I am very recently home - out since 8:30 this morning - had dinner with 10 members of my bereavement group and we managed to close the restaurant.  How do I seem to attract this type of person?  Even at the level of a bereavement group for goodness sake!

On with it I hear you saying, so on with it we go.

This plan view is of the guest stateroom standing in the doorway, looking to starboard, slightly aft.  I wanted to see what the room would look like with the electronics cabinet built into the room from the passageway.  If you remember, I'm no longer interested in re-arranging furniture to get to the entertainment components.

Also - and this is a big also - the newly designed and re-located steps to the pilot house are now to starboard, above a corner of the guest stateroom.  Just remember people, besides the folks actually building this boat, you are the first to get a peek of the new interior.  Drum roll please....

The first sight of this view had me frantically dialing the phone to get Tom B. on the line to tell me what I was looking at.  He calmly (without appearing to be judging) told me that I was looking at the wall against which the heads of the twin berths would rest.   The 3 cabinets cleverly hiding "stuff" also have room for storage, so they serve a dual purpose.  To the left and above the storage cabinets is a bookcase; to the right is a header cleverly concealing most of the steps and electronics cabinet.  The header will be cherry, just like the rest of room, thereby blending these necessary inclusions into the room.  Next to the arrow on the right pointing to the cabinet are the words "Electronics cabinet - facing passage, inboard of steps".  You can also see a wall lamp on each wall for reading.  I really don't like the standard reading lights, so have had them replaced with these Imtra lamps throughout the boat.   These lamps were in the master stateroom on Serenity and I loved them.  Having lighting on the wall frees up valuable counter space and eliminates the need to dismantle and protect lamps when underway.  Up for discussion right now is whether or not to cover the berths in Sunbrella or just leave them with the standard KKY fabric.  Inside scoop - I'm leaning towards the Sunbrella option.  That's a topic for another day since there are LOTS of fabric choices and my head is not there yet.

Okay, leaving the guest stateroom, we look across the passageway to port where the old steps were.  Since the guest head was pulled forward to accommodate a door for walk-in engine room access, that wall facing the guest stateroom is now flush with the edge of the guest head door and a pantry.  All the displays are neatly contained in and next to the double glass doors housing the boat's vital signs.

The next 2 views are looking forward from the salon.  This view is looking forward (through to the galley).  For those of you who are familiar with the 55s preceding this boat, you'll notice some interesting changes.

The first few steps will be visible through a household-type railing, open to the salon part way up.  This design allows for an open and airy look.  These steps replace the wine fridge and bookcase/cabinet that were originally located here.  You don't think I gave them up, did you?????  No way!  The wine fridge will now be at the end of the settee that abuts the galley counter top to port, acting as an end table, though a bit higher than a standard end table.  The cabinet (though not very deep) and bookcase will be on the starboard aft bulkhead.  When I moved, I had 845 hard cover books to do something with.  I donated many of them, but kept some of Tom's favorite books.  Now they'll have a home.

This last view is to starboard as if standing right in the middle of the salon.  You'll notice some nice cherry build outs around the windows for blinds.  I think I may have mentioned the window treatments in a previous blog.  While the actual blinds have not yet been selected, they will be hung inside the build outs, for a neat and custom look.  The same window treatments will be in the guest stateroom and pilothouse.

You might find this one a bit hard to see, but you can see quite a bit of detail: the pilot house access steps, pantry under the electronics cabinet, looking through the guest stateroom wall to where the Bosch washer dryer will live and beyond that, step down to the master stateroom, with central vacuum outlet visible.  Moving aft, you can see the storage cabinets under the windows, once being considered for the entertainment components now in the electronics cabinet.  Also visible are the bookcase and cabinet against the aft bulkhead as described above.  The TV on its lift will be on the port side of this boat so that one can be ensconced in the comfy club chairs that will reside on the starboard side - maybe similar to the beauties on Serenity.

So now you've had a first glimpse of the new interior design which will make this boat so very comfortable to live on - and entertain on.  I hope seeing these plan views was worth the wait while I muddled through evasive technology.

Please stay tuned for more tidbits as we move through this spine-tingling build process.  I can sincerely tell you this is like no other experience in my life to date.  We built our first house in Houston and that was a thrill, but it was just a house.  This is not just a home, but a dream.  Though this dream is unfolding way differently that what I had envisioned, it is unfolding nonetheless with the help and support of some pretty incredible people in my life.  I hope that many of you who are reading and following this blog get to find out firsthand what this dream is all about.

Til later..........

Plan View of New PH Access Stairway

I hope I can upload this important plan view of the newly designed steps leading to the pilot house.  KKY 55-005 will be the first Expedition model to feature this new access.  One of the reasons I'm here sharing my excitement about this special girl is these very steps.  But first, a bit of history....

While Tom and I were at a Trawler Fest in Baltimore in 2010, we went aboard a brokerage 55 that was actually serving as the KKY host boat.  We met with Larry Polster to discuss our potential build of a 52'.  At the time of boarding, we were immediately impressed with the layout of the 55.  I was ecstatic over the innovative galley layout and spacious salon.  However, by the time I climbed the winding steps to the pilot house, my ardor began to cool.  With Tom's bad knees a major issue in a new boat's design, we had to reluctantly discount the 55.  You know the rest - we decided against building a 52' and instead took delivery of Serenity, the first of the newly designed 48 AE models, in 2011.

If you remember, this dream of finally owning a new 55' took root during the Krogen Rendezvous in 2012 when Larry revealed KKY's plans for a newly designed 55'.  I might have missed this presentation had I not decided to attend the Northern Lights generator class instead of the jewelry-making class.  Once I learned that the very steps that were holding us back were being re-located and re-designed, I went into action and here we are.  This plan view is really everyone's first peek at what these steps will look like in their new location and design.  Instead of one winding staircase, there will be a few household-type steps up, a landing, then the balance of household steps to the pilot house - on the starboard side.  A portion of the hand rail will be open to the salon, giving it an even more airy feeling.  The steps will enter the pilot house on the starboard side while still leaving room for the fridge and original settee shape.  The hope is that the newly designed staircase will be easier and safer to negotiate while underway in less than desirable conditions (which will only happen under the most extreme conditions where there was no choice but to keep going).  The re-located steps also provided for new, walk-in access to the engine room by moving the guest head forward and adding a door in the head that opens into the engine room, with steps down as opposed to a hatch.  That new design is fodder for another blog though.

Well this won't happen tonight.  Since the plan view was sent as a PDF, it has to be converted to an image for me to upload it here.  Back to the experts tomorrow to make this happen.  Sorry for the delay, but if the image can be converted, it will be well worth waiting to see.  You can say "I saw it on Bunnie's blog first".

Til tomorrow folks.....

We Have Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so this Mac laptop is fantastic, but the operator, not so much.  I had Tom B. re-send me the pictures I seem to have messed up yesterday.  I had to tell him that a lot of folks might be really unhappy with me if I didn't get these pics uploaded.

Soooooo here goes!

This is the picture that when opened it at work, caused several people to rush over to my desk, thinking I was in the midst of cardiac arrest!

At the end of this camera roll was Tom B's comment: " She's the big girl in the factory now".   Her bow is very imposing and will look wonderful "dressed" in a Forest Green sheer stripe.  My heart skips a beat every time I look at this picture.  It really skips a beat when I realize this is my boat.   Most girls from Brooklyn don't get to even think these thoughts, let alone say them!

If you're like me (and many simply are not), I had to call Tom B. to ask what I was looking at - as I did with most of the pictures in this presentation.  We're looking at the engine room, with the twin John Deere engines in the forefront.  The fuel tanks are alongside.  Next to be installed is the Northern Lights generator (genny among those who know what they're doing).  There was apparently a snafu with the order which is being rectified this week with installation to follow immediately upon arrival.  You can see where one of the water tight doors will go if you look at the top of the pic.  This is the part of the boat that keeps me up at night.  Once the granite and pretty settee covering is selected, it'll be all about those engines!

Since the genny had not yet arrived, the boat's sole (floor) was still upside down in the work space showing its underside and maze of wiring to the world.  I'm sort of glad I'm actually getting to see what a 15 hour plane trip would have allowed me to see, never mind the $$$$$$$ needed to get there.  Each wire is carefully placed and plays an integral part in the boat's functional capabilities.

Once the wiring is done, the sole is flipped and placed underside down in the boat to show off her pretty cherry and spruce floor.  Only we will know about the miles of wiring lying right beneath our feet.

This is another view of that very special engine room looking forward (I think).  You can see the Racors in the foreground.  I actually know what those are, what they do, and how to check that they remain clean and at the proper level.  Checking those babes was one of my engine room jobs on both For Us and Serenity.  Surprised you, huh?  LOL

Here we see the bow and part of the salon aft.  You can see the area where the windlasses will be installed, the chain locker, bow lockers (to ultimately be covered with pretty cushions) and where the superstructure will reside.

This picture appears to be the swim platform (I think).  The yard is looking into rub rail material for the edge of the swim platform.  This protection is not only for the occasional misjudgment of the distance to the dock, but for those yahoos who decide to stop by for a cocktail in their dinghy and think the boat is a really a big dock for their dinghy.  I (we) had already decided to have staples installed on the swim platform.  It always amazes me how high the boat is relative to the dinghy when the time comes to get off the small boat onto the big boat.  Besides, they look cool.

If you use your imagination, this shot looks like she's a rowboat with a wide backside and uncluttered transom, wide enough to pass thorough without turning to one side or the other.

Without perspective, it's hard to tell just how long she is. I'm sure there will be plenty of other pictures to give the appropriate appreciation of her size.

This is the wood (cherry) that will be used for the joinery work.  They really do everything by hand, with great attention to detail.  They apparently try to take care of themselves as well.  It looks like this worker might be preparing a section of the cap strip.

Looking at a boat without a top is weird, but especially so on this boat, since the pilot house with its Portuguese bridge is such a defining feature of this boat.

So that's it for the most recent yard pictures.  Tom B. assures me there will be more to follow now that progress is being made at a good pace.

I was thrilled to find out that those pesky table struts on the wood hi-lo tables have been re-designed and provided by a different manufacturer. They've been approved by the yard so it looks like I will have my wood hi-lo table after all, at a modest additional cost.  I really did not want the steel pedestal
table on this boat.  In addition to wanting a table that looked more like a piece of furniture, I didn't want to have to cut the rug I insist on putting under that table.  The rug is a Persian rug that Tom and I gave each other as an anniversary present many years ago.  For those years, it was the centerpiece of our den.  It's now up in the loft in my apartment.  It fits that area perfectly and is not subject to any traffic up there.

That famous build sheet is now 3 pages, but there are a lot of "completed" entries, a real sign that this dream is unfolding before our eyes.  There are days when I think I won't be able to wait 5 more minutes; then there are the days when my knees get weak at thought of what I'm doing.  It's a good weakness, but still weakness nevertheless.

Next post will have plan views of 2 views I requested: one of the guest stateroom looking to starboard.  I wanted to see how the electronics cabinet mounted in the passageway and pilot house access steps would look in that room.  The second view is standing in the salon, looking starboard at the new staircase providing access to the pilot house.

I'm saving those views for tomorrow's post.  One reason is that I'm falling asleep; the other is to save you from yet another post of all text with no pictures to amuse you.  Thoughtful, right?

Thanks for your patience while you waited for me to untangle my 2 left thumbs and get on with it.  I hope you enjoyed seeing these pictures as much as I did (don't see how you possibly could, but it sounds good).  Be back tomorrow (if my dinner with friends doesn't run into the wee hours).

Your comments will be more than welcome.

Technical Difficulties

It's 11:08 pm and I got home from the barn a mere 2 hours ago after being out since 8 am this morning. In my hurry to leave the office for a dental appointment, I neglected to forward the boat pictures to this computer.  Well, I thought I did, but apparently not.

I'm so sorry for any disappointment, but since I have to be up at 6 am for an appointment, I haven't got the time right now to try to get the pictures off my phone.  They're sort of jumbled together.  Rather than just not post anything, I decided to come clean and ask forgiveness.  Tomorrow is a new day and though it will be jam packed until about 9:30 pm, I'll try again to get the pictures to you.  They're worth waiting for, believe me.

Thanks for understanding.

Stay Tuned - Pictures Tonight!

Assuming I don't run into technical difficulties, I'm going to upload Tom B.'s pictures from the yard in Taiwan tonight.  I'm at work right now, so that's why the upload isn't happening now (in case you were wondering).

See you later!